Harare City Council housing in shambles

KUDAKWASHE CHIBVURI

“Harare City Council is dead; it doesn’t need rehabilitation but a complete overhaul,” declared Councillor Blessing Duma, former chair of the council’s audit committee, as he walked out of a commission of inquiry investigating corruption dating back to 2017.

His voice echoed with frustration, capturing the gravity of a corruption crisis that has left many residents disillusioned.

The Harare City Council has found itself entangled in a web of deep-rooted corruption—most notably within its housing department. Allegations have surfaced that land barons and unscrupulous council officials have conned desperate home seekers out of thousands of dollars through dubious pay schemes masquerading as legitimate housing cooperatives. For many, the result has been empty pockets and broken dreams.

Documents seen by Business Times reveal that council housing directors allegedly orchestrated fraudulent pay schemes to siphon off substantial sums in areas such as Budiriro, Kuwadzana, Mufakose, and Mabvuku. Some residents reportedly paid up to $1,500 in development fees under false pretenses.

A councillor, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed to Business Times that officials swindled unsuspecting residents who had deposited money into the Harare City Council’s Mt. Pleasant account.

“I am against the corruption that is rampant within the Harare City Council,” the councillor stated emphatically. “Those officials in the housing department took people’s money—$1,500—after creating these pay schemes in Budiriro, Mabvuku, and Mufakose.”

The now-notorious Global Pay Scheme in Glenview serves as a stark example. Since 2017, 230 individuals have reportedly been defrauded, collectively losing $86,000. Despite backing from a full council meeting, affected residents have had to report the matter to the Zimbabwe Republic Police’s commercial crimes unit after discovering they had been duped.

“So far, we have paid up to $86,000 for advertisements, surveys, and development fees,” lamented one of the leaders of the Glenview pay scheme. “We started processing our papers before 2017, when cooperatives existed. We paid all fees to the council through Mr. Dzehonye, who said he would interview us during the lockdown.”

However, residents were later informed by Mr. Bare from the Harare City Council that their plots had already been allocated to other individuals. In response, they appealed to the town clerk, who referred the matter to the audit committee. A full council session was convened on November 16, 2023, with a final report expected by October 23, 2024.

“While the council called for regularisation, they sent police to harass us, despite our valid papers,” the Glenview scheme leader added.

Similar frustrations were expressed by a victim from the Tinzwei Pay Scheme in Mufakose, who claimed their land had also been reallocated—contrary to established council resolutions.

“Harare City Council, through the audit committee chair, approved our land rights, not those smuggled in by council officials,” he asserted.

Councillor Duma, who earlier this year took senior council officials to the High Court over the issue of double allocations, described the council as a “breeding ground for corruption.”

“They will attempt to silence anyone who exposes the truth,” he warned.

Duma, who has played a central role in the regularisation of informal settlements, emphasized that his responsibility was to ensure public funds and council assets were used responsibly. He highlighted alarming incidents of double allocations, particularly in Mabvuku.

“The scenario was evident in Mabvuku, where the Vimbiso Pay Scheme paid for land that did not exist. Similar cases occurred in Budiriro,” he explained. “We also noted individuals were offered land, made to pay for it, but unfortunately, such land did not exist. This amounts to the council defrauding residents.”

Despite his recommendations to suspend implicated officials, Duma expressed disappointment that his proposals have been ignored.

Mayor Jacob Mafume has blamed the persistent corruption on the absence of a robust Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, which he says has failed to properly track housing allocations and backlogs. While he acknowledged the need for a coordinated government response, he neither confirmed nor denied the extent of corruption allegations.

“In every system, there are some rotten apples, and we, as a council, do not condone corruption. We are actively seeking those responsible, and the law will usually catch them,” said Mafume.

Reuben Akili, Director of the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA), also weighed in, highlighting the role of pay schemes in enabling organized corruption by cartels operating within the council.

“Corruption is deeply entrenched among officials operating as cartels,” Akili said. “Previously, housing cooperatives managed land development, but the system became corrupted. The introduction of pay schemes, initiated during Kasukuwere’s tenure as local government minister, has exacerbated the situation.”

He added, “Land barons are entrenched within Harare City Council offices. These individuals are simply extensions of those working within the system.”

Akili called for structural reform in housing governance: “What we need is a comprehensive overhaul of housing governance in Harare. Local authorities are formulating a housing settlement policy, and we hope these guidelines will close the gaps exploited by corruption.”

As the scandal unfolds, what becomes increasingly evident is a system that has betrayed the very residents it is meant to serve. With trust eroded and millions lost, Harare’s housing crisis reflects a broader governance failure—one that will require more than apologies and inquiries to resolve.